Acid Attack In Pagnell Street, London, Leads To Three Being Taken To Hospital

There has been a sharp rise in acid attacks in the capital.

Acid was squirted into a van and two people were attacked with a hammer after their car was stopped during a robbery in London.

This latest incident comes after Metropolitan Police statistics show there has been a sharp rise in acid attacks in the capital, with 1,800 being reported since 2010.

Officers were called to Pagnell Street, in Deptford, on Wednesday shortly after 2pm after the gang pulled in front of their victims, forcing them to stop.

Three people were in the targeted car when a number of suspects squirted a “noxious liquid” into the vehicle.

PA Wire/PA Images
Three people were attack in Pagnell Street, London, on Wednesday. File image.

Police said a bag was stolen from one of the victims and two were assaulted with a hammer, before the assailants made off in the suspect car.

Two men aged 60 and 56 and a 47-year-old woman were taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries, police said.

Khalid Salama, a resident living in Pagnell Street told the Evening Standard: “I heard a woman screaming. I wanted to go outside and see what was happening – the police were all over the place and doing their investigation.

“I personally feel safe here. We’ve been here about three years and we haven’t faced any risks but it’s not the perfect area and we’re probably going to move.”

Figures released in March revealed there has been a sharp rise in the number of acid attacks in London in the past four years.